Heating and cooling wheel with dual rotor

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for producing heating or cooling by passing two fluids in heat exchange relationship with each other within two rotating rotors wherein said fluids are pressurized to a higher pressure. The first fluid is a compressible fluid, such as air, which when compressed will also have a temperature increase; the second fluid may be either a compressible fluid or may be a liquid, which when compressed may not have a temperature increase or the temperature increase for the second fluid is less than the said temperature increase for said first fluid. Heat then will be transferred from said first fluid to said second fluid, so that when said fluids are discharged from said rotors, said first fluid will be at lower temperature at exit than at entry, and said second fluid will leave said rotor at a higher temperature than the temperature that said second fluid enters. For the first fluid, air or other compressible gases may be used; said air may enter at ambient temperature. For said second fluid, air, water or other fluids may be used; said water or air may be at ambient or natural temperature at entry. Said apparatus may be used as a heating and cooling unit for air conditioning, or be used as a liquid heater, or be used as a vaporizer or steam generator.

United States Patent 1191 Eskeli HEATING AND COOLING WHEEL WITH DUAL ROTOR [76] Inventor: Michael Eskeli, 6220 Orchid La.,

Dallas, Tex. 75230 22 Filed; Jan. 20, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 219,212

[52] US. Cl 62/401, 62/87, 122/26,

[51] Int. Cl. F25b 3/00 [58] Field of Search..... 415/64, 178, 177, 179, 114, 415/199 'A; 416/95, 96; 126/247; 62/401,

Primary Examiner-Albert W. Davis, Jr. Assistant ExaminerS. J. Richter 1451 Feb. 12, 1974 [57] ABSTRACT A method and apparatus for producing heating or cooling by passing two fluids in heat exchange relationship with each other within two rotating rotors wherein said fluids are pressurized to a higher pressure. The first fluid is a compressible fluid, such as air, which when compressed will also have a temperature increase; the second fluid may be either a compressible fluid or may be a liquid, which when compressed may not have a temperature increase or the temperature increase for the second fluid is less than the said temperature increase for said first fluid. Heat then will be transferred from said first fluid to said second fluid, so that when said fluids are discharged from said rotors, said first fluid will be at lower temperature at exit than at entry, and said second fluid will leave said rotor at a higher temperature than the temperature that said second fluid enters. For the first fluid, air or other compressible gases may be used; said air may enter at ambient temperature. For said second fluid, air, water or' other fluids may be used; said water or air may be at ambient or natural temperature at entry. Said apparatus may be used as a heating and cooling unit for air conditioning, or be used as a liquid heater, or be used as a vaporizer or steam generator.

11 Claims. 2 Drawing Figures Cross Reference to Related-Application: This invention is similar to the device of application titled Heating and Cooling Wheel, Ser. No. 216,938 filed Jan. 11, 1972 by Michael Eskeli.

Background of the Invention: This invention relates generally to devices for generating heating or cooling, wherein a fluid is circulated within a device to produce said heating and cooling.

The art of producing cooling, refrigeration or heating has seen a variety of devices. In some of these devices, such as heat pumps, a fluid is compressed in a compressor, then condensed producing heat, and then said fluid is allowed to expand in an evaporator producing coolmg.

The main disadvantage of these conventional systems is that they usually require large amounts of power for their operation, and that a separate fluid, such as a hydrocarbon, is required within said system as an intermediate fluid adding to cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS:-

FIG. 1 is a cross section of the device, and FIG. 2 is an end view of the device shown in FIG. 1 with a section removed to show the interior.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:

It is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for providing heating and cooling as normally required for air conditioning, heating or for refrigeration; further, it is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for generating steam or vaporizing liquids; also, it is an object of this invention to provide a means for producing a fluid that is at an elevated temperature after having passed through one or more of the devices of this invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, therein is illustrated a cross section of the device. A first fluid, being a compressible fluid, enters said device via opening 27, and is passed to the interior of the first rotor 11 via passages 30; said fluid then passing through passages 13 to secondary rotor 12 passages 14 and'from there to secondary rotor 12 exit openingl8. The second fluid enters said first rotor 11 via opening 20, and is passed to the interior of said rotor 11 passages 16, and from there to passages 31, and out via exit opening28. Unit casing is 10, 25

and 17 are bearings and seals for secondary rotor 12,

19 and 26 are first rotor bearings, 35 is a hollow shaft for said first rotor 11, and 34 is shaft for said secondary rotor 12. All fluid passages within both rotors are provided with vanes to assure that said fluids will rotate with said rotors and also to serve as heatexchange members; said vanes are indicated by numbers 24, 36 and 23. 32 is an opening to space between said secondary rotor 12 and said casing 10. Arrows within said fluid passages indicate preferred direction for fluid flow when using counterflow arrangement; the flow of the second fluid may be reversed in some applications to have parallel flow arrangement. 21 and 29 are thermal insulation and 22 is a central dividing wall of the first rotor. I

In FIG. 2 an end view of the device is shown. is casing, 12 is secondary rotor, 36 is vane within first fluid passage 13, 23 is a vane within second fluid passage 311, 28 is hollow shaft opening for second fluid, 27 is opening for first fluid, 33 is unit base.

In operation, both fluids will normally be flowing continuously. The first fluid being compressible, will be pressurized within said first rotor to a higher pressure, with an accompanying temperature increase. The said second fluid is also pressurized, but its temperature increase will be less; this due either to the said second fluid being non-compressible type, said second fluid being a type for which said temperature increase is less than for said first fluid, or said second fluid tangential velocity within said rotor is less than for said first fluid fluid is being decelerated within said second rotor. The

power output from said secondary rotor is passed to said first rotor shaft via a suitable power transmission device, such as a gear box.

The purpose for the two rotors is as follows: When said first fluid is accelerated within said first rotor to the tangential velocity of said rotor, said first fluid pressure will increase due to centrifugal action on said fluid by said rotor; this pressure increase is accompanied by corresponding temperature increase and an increase in fluid density. Similarly, in the passage 14 of FIG. 1, there is a pressure decrease of the fluid as said fluid passes toward said rotor center, with a decrease in temperature and a decrease in density. However, the fluid temperature is lower and the fluid density is higher in passage 14 than in passage 30, due to the heat transfer from first fluid to said second fluid in the rotor area near periphery. Due to this density differential, the fluid is heavier in the passage 14; to'compensate for this weight difference, the secondary rotor 12 is provided. Said secondary rotor 12 will rotate at a speed that is lower than the rotational speed of said first rotor 11. Work is produced by said secondary rotor 12 since the first fluid undergoes deceleration within said rotor and also since the said first fluid enters said secondary rotor at a higher tangential velocity than the tangential velocity of said secondary rotor in the area where said first fluid enters said secondary rotor. Said work may then be passed to said first rotor .via suitable power transmission device.

In applications for producing steam, water is passed to said second fluid passage; said water then is heated by said first fluid, preferably in a counterflow arrangement within said rotors. With suitably high rotational speeds, all the water may be converted to high pressure steam within the device. Said steam may then be used to drive power generating turbines; or for other uses.

' Also, water flow through the rotor may be so arranged that said heat transfer is sufficient only to partially vaporize saidwater; with this arrangement, suitable flash tank maybe provided to separate steam and water with said water then being returned back to the inlet of this device.

This device may be also used to provide refrigeration. The temperature of said first fluid will be lower when leaving the device; this is due to the heat being transferred to said second fluid within the device. If said first fluid is air, said first fluid may be used directly for air conditioning cooling purposes. Alternately, an intermediate fluid may be employed as said first fluid with said intermediate fluid then being passed through a heat exchanger to provide said refrigeration. Normally in these applications, said second fluid would be water, either from a natural source at its natural temperature, or water from a cooling tower.

Various fluid combinations may be employed. As noted hereinbefore, one of the fluids, being compressible, is so selected that its temperature rise is higher within said rotors, than the temperature rise of the second fluid within said rotating rotors. Heat is then transferred from the hotter first fluid to the cooler second fluid. When expanding within said secondary rotor, said first fluid will have a lower exit temperature than the entry temperature was due to heat having been lost during said heat transfer. Similarly, when the second fluid leaves the exit opening, the temperature of said second fluid will be higher at the exit than it was in the entry; this due to the heat addition within said rotors.

Thermal insulation may be provided within said rotors to prevent undesirable heat transfer, as shown in FIG. 1.

The entry and exit openings for the first fluid are shown to be on opposite sides of the rotor casing; by rearranging passages within said rotors, said openings may be provided on the same side of casing. Similarly, second fluid passages may rearranged to provide entry and exit on same side of unit casing. Other arrangements of fluid passages may be used without departing from the spirit of this invention.

The rotor walls may be fitted closely to said casing walls as shown in FIG. 1, to allow the rotating rotor to partially evacuate said space between the rotor and said casing; said evacuation of said space will produce a partial vacuum in said space, thereby reducing fluid friction on said rotor. Alternatively, a vacuum pump may be connected to opening 32, FIG. 1, to evacuate said spaces to reduce fluid friction on said rotor. As shown in FIG. 1, the secondary rotor 12 is being extended to bearings to avoid leakage of the first fluid to the space between said rotor and said unit casing; such extension of said second rotor may not always be needed.

Appropriate and well known equipment, such as governors, gauges, and controls, may be used with the device described hereinbefore. They do not form any part of this invention and are not further described herein.

Two or more devices may be used in series, with the working fluid being passed from one device to the next; the working fluid being the fluid that is being either heated or cooled, for further use, in some other process or system.

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary heat exchanger comprising:

a. a casing for enclosing rotors therewithin and for supporting shafts;

b. a power input shaft journalled in bearings in said casing for rotation;

c. a power output shaft journalled in bearings in said casing for rotation independently of said power input shaft;

d. a rotating first rotor mounted on said power input shaft so as to rotate in unison therewith, said first rotor being of circular configuration in cross section taken transverse to the axis of rotation and adapted for high speed rotation with its structural walls being thicker near the center than at the periphery; said rotor having:

i. first fluid passageway comprising an entry port near the radial center of said rotor; radially extending passageways having vanes therewithin for ensuring that a first fluid therewithin rotates at the same rotational speed as said rotor for effecting centrifugal compression and effecting a high pressure fluid at elevated temperature at the outermost periphery of said rotor; a first peripheral portion disposed at the radially outermost portion of said rotor for collecting said high pressure fluid; and discharge apertures near the periphery of said first rotor and communicating with said peripheral portion for discharging said high pressure fluid near the periphery of said rotor;

ii. second fluid passageway comprising shaft inlet and outlet passageways; a second peripheral portion disposed interiorly of said first peripheral portion of said first fluid passageway; and a plurality of respective radially extending second fluid passageways communicating with said second peripheral portion and with respective said inlet andoutlet passageways; said radially extending second fluid passageways having a plurality of vanes therewithin for ensuring that said second fluid therewithin rotates at the same rotational speed as said first rotor;

iii. heat conductive walls intermediate said first and second peripheral portions of, respectively, said first and second fluid passageways for transmitting heat from said first fluid to said second fluid;

iv. heat insulating walls intermediate said first fluid passageway and said second fluid passageway downstream with respect to said second fluid from said second peripheral portion for retarding transfer of heat from a heated second fluid to a cooler first fluid; and

v. outer walls encompassing said first and second fluid passageways interiorly thereof and being disposed adjacent the interior walls of a rotating second rotor;

. said second rotor mounted on said power output shaft so as to compel rotation of said power output shaft in unison with said second rotor; said second rotor having first fluid passageway comprising first fluid entry apertures immediately adjacent said first fluid discharge apertures of said first rotor for entry of discharged said first fluid into said second rotor; radially extending first fluid passageways having vanes for rotating said second rotor and recovering the energy from said first fluid responsive to flow of said first fluid; and a first fluid outlet passageway near the center of said second rotor; said second rotor operably rotating slightly slower than said first rotor for effecting automatic flow of said first fluid without requiring a separate compressor or higher inlet pressure than discharge pressure; said second rotor having outer walls disposed adjacent the interior walls of said casing a compressible first fluid being passed through said first fluid passageway in said first and second rotors; said first fluid being. heated by centrifugal compression and transferring heat to said second fluid through said heat conductive wall intermediate said first and second peripheral portions such that said compressible first fluid is at a lower temperature at its outlet than it was at its inlet; and

g. a second fluid being flowed through said second fluid passageway and being heated in its said peripheral portion by heat transferred from said first fluid such that said second fluid is at a higher temperature at its outlet than it was at its inlet.

2. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said casing is closely fitted to the outer walls of said second rotor so that said second rotating rotor will, by centrifugal action, partially evacuate said space between said casing and said outer walls of said second rotor thereby reducing fluid friction of said second rotating rotor.

3. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said casing is provided with an aperture for evacuating a space between said second rotor and said casing for reducing fluid friction on said second rotor.

4. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said first fluid is air and said second fluid is air.

5. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said first fluid is air and said second fluid is water.

6. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said second fluid is a liquid when entering said rotary heat exchanger and wherein said second fluid is heated sufficiently within said rotary heat exchanger to at least partially vaporize it.

7. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 6 wherein said second fluid is water and said water is vaporized to form steam.

8. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said first fluid undergoes a greater temperature increase when subjected to its centrifugal force field in said first rotor than does said second fluid when subjected to its centrifugal force field.

9. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 8 wherein said first and second fluids are selected such that said first fluid inherently has a greater temperature increase than said second fluid when subjected to a given centrifugal force field.

10. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 8 wherein said first fluid is flowed through the outermost first peripheral portion such that it is subjected to a reater centrifugal force field than is said second fluid which flows through the interiorly disposed second peripheral portion of the second fluid passageway.

ll. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 8 wherein said first peripheral portion has heat conductive vanes for conducting heat from said first fluid and said second peripheral portion has heat conductive vanes for conducting heat to said second fluid. 

1. A rotary heat exchanger comprising: a. a casing for enclosing rotors therewithin and for supporting shafts; b. a power input shaft journalled in bearings in said casing for rotation; c. a power output shaft journalled in bearings in said casing for rotation independently of said power input shaft; d. a rotating first rotor mounted on said power input shaft so as to rotate in unison therewith, said first rotor being of circular configuration in cross section taken transverse to the axis of rotation and adapted for high speed rotation with its structural walls being thicker near the center than at the periphery; said rotor having: i. first fluid passageway comprising an entry port Near the radial center of said rotor; radially extending passageways having vanes therewithin for ensuring that a first fluid therewithin rotates at the same rotational speed as said rotor for effecting centrifugal compression and effecting a high pressure fluid at elevated temperature at the outermost periphery of said rotor; a first peripheral portion disposed at the radially outermost portion of said rotor for collecting said high pressure fluid; and discharge apertures near the periphery of said first rotor and communicating with said peripheral portion for discharging said high pressure fluid near the periphery of said rotor; ii. second fluid passageway comprising shaft inlet and outlet passageways; a second peripheral portion disposed interiorly of said first peripheral portion of said first fluid passageway; and a plurality of respective radially extending second fluid passageways communicating with said second peripheral portion and with respective said inlet and outlet passageways; said radially extending second fluid passageways having a plurality of vanes therewithin for ensuring that said second fluid therewithin rotates at the same rotational speed as said first rotor; iii. heat conductive walls intermediate said first and second peripheral portions of, respectively, said first and second fluid passageways for transmitting heat from said first fluid to said second fluid; iv. heat insulating walls intermediate said first fluid passageway and said second fluid passageway downstream with respect to said second fluid from said second peripheral portion for retarding transfer of heat from a heated second fluid to a cooler first fluid; and v. outer walls encompassing said first and second fluid passageways interiorly thereof and being disposed adjacent the interior walls of a rotating second rotor; e. said second rotor mounted on said power output shaft so as to compel rotation of said power output shaft in unison with said second rotor; said second rotor having first fluid passageway comprising first fluid entry apertures immediately adjacent said first fluid discharge apertures of said first rotor for entry of discharged said first fluid into said second rotor; radially extending first fluid passageways having vanes for rotating said second rotor and recovering the energy from said first fluid responsive to flow of said first fluid; and a first fluid outlet passageway near the center of said second rotor; said second rotor operably rotating slightly slower than said first rotor for effecting automatic flow of said first fluid without requiring a separate compressor or higher inlet pressure than discharge pressure; said second rotor having outer walls disposed adjacent the interior walls of said casing f. a compressible first fluid being passed through said first fluid passageway in said first and second rotors; said first fluid being heated by centrifugal compression and transferring heat to said second fluid through said heat conductive wall intermediate said first and second peripheral portions such that said compressible first fluid is at a lower temperature at its outlet than it was at its inlet; and g. a second fluid being flowed through said second fluid passageway and being heated in its said peripheral portion by heat transferred from said first fluid such that said second fluid is at a higher temperature at its outlet than it was at its inlet.
 2. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said casing is closely fitted to the outer walls of said second rotor so that said second rotating rotor will, by centrifugal action, partially evacuate said space between said casing and said outer walls of said second rotor thereby reducing fluid friction of said second rotating rotor.
 3. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said casing is provided with an aperture for evacuating a space between said second rotor and said casing for reducing fluid friction on said second rotor.
 4. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said first fluid is air and said second fluid is air.
 5. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said first fluid is air and said second fluid is water.
 6. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said second fluid is a liquid when entering said rotary heat exchanger and wherein said second fluid is heated sufficiently within said rotary heat exchanger to at least partially vaporize it.
 7. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 6 wherein said second fluid is water and said water is vaporized to form steam.
 8. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein said first fluid undergoes a greater temperature increase when subjected to its centrifugal force field in said first rotor than does said second fluid when subjected to its centrifugal force field.
 9. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 8 wherein said first and second fluids are selected such that said first fluid inherently has a greater temperature increase than said second fluid when subjected to a given centrifugal force field.
 10. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 8 wherein said first fluid is flowed through the outermost first peripheral portion such that it is subjected to a greater centrifugal force field than is said second fluid which flows through the interiorly disposed second peripheral portion of the second fluid passageway.
 11. The rotary heat exchanger of claim 8 wherein said first peripheral portion has heat conductive vanes for conducting heat from said first fluid and said second peripheral portion has heat conductive vanes for conducting heat to said second fluid. 